Remains Of Teen Missing For Seven Years Found In Chimney Of Colorado Cabin

The remains of a Colorado teen who had been missing for more than seven years were found in the chimney of a cabin outside Woodland Park on Aug. 7 when the cabin was being demolished.

Teller County Coroner Al Born announced on Sept. 29 that dental records confirmed the remains belong to Joshua Maddux, who disappeared in 2008 when he was 18 years old.

Born said Maddux might have been trying to shimmy down the chimney and gotten stuck because of the wood-burning insert at the bottom.

Born ruled Maddux's death an accident.

The Maddux family said that while the confirmation of Joshua's death is devastating, it also brings them some peace and closure.

"It was not the result we wanted," Joshua's sister Ruth Maddux said. "We wanted him to come home alive, but at least now we know where he is. I'm relieved that we finally are able to give him a proper burial …because that's what he deserves, and it's good that we can kind of know what happened because we spent so long wondering where he was."

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The cabin has been empty for the last 10 years, but owner Chuck Murphy would periodically stop by to check in, KKTV reports. He said each time he went in, he noticed a rancid smell, which he now believes to have been coming from the remains.